Therapy Animal Evaluations for Professionals 

You’re a professional, your evaluation should be too.  

 

Before AAAIP, professionals partnering with therapy animals in settings such as schools, clinics, or offices relied on volunteer evaluations to assess their skills. Volunteer evaluations take place in a variety of settings and focus on obedience cues and responses to different situations.


AAAIP’s Evaluation for Professionals is different. It takes place in your actual workplace and is designed to evaluate how you and your animal work together in real-time, real-world situations. 

 

Evaluators assess:
• How you direct interactions
• Your ability to monitor your animal for signs of stress
• How you advocate for their well-being

 

The evaluation takes up to two hours and helps ensure your animal is not only capable but thriving in your care and setting.

 

Re-evaluation happens every two years, or if there are any major changes to your work environment. By re-evaluating, you show your clients and insurers that you’re both still working at the highest level of ethical standards and practices.

 

AAAIP evaluations are grounded in the Competencies for the Ethical Inclusion of Therapy/Facility Animals: a clear, credible guide for responsible professionals.

 

As we prepare to launch this opportunity at large in 2026, the Evaluations for Professionals are currently only available to AAAIP members who have earned their AAIS certification.

 

How to Apply for an Evaluation for Professionals:  

  1. Application: AAAIP members interested in being assessed in their working environment can apply to participate in the pilot program here.
  2. Assessment: AAAIP members will collaborate with AAAIP leadership to find a local trainer who will shadow their work and complete the AAAIP Assessor Scoresheet.
  3. Certificate of Completion: Assessors will submit their scoresheet to AAAIP and AAAIP will then issue a certificate to the professional confirming their successful completion of an AAAIP Team Assessment.
  4. Insurance: This certificate can be used as evidence of evaluation when obtaining professional liability insurance.

 

We look forward to the day when all professionals working with therapy animals can complete assessments tailored specifically for them!